MAS denies report its missing flight landed in China

Malaysia Airlines has denied online reports that the Beijing-bound flight MH370 was forced to make an emergency landing in Xian or Nanning, China.

An MAS spokesman confirmed that the claims, made mostly on micro-blogging site Twitter, were untrue.

In a statement earlier this morning, MAS said that that flight MH370 lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am.

The Boeing B777-200 aircraft took off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 12.41am this morning and was due to land in Beijing at 6.30am local time. It was carrying 227 passengers including two infants and a total of 12 crew members.

The Malay Mail Online reported that MAS has sent out an email to its staff members, asking for 150 volunteers, preferably Mandarin-speaking, to go to China this afternoon as caregivers.

MAS group chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement at 9.05am this morning that the plane is still being located by a search and rescue team.